I love credit cards so much!

[SouthFayetteFan]

Can someone explain the grAAvy train? I read through several pages of posts but couldn't quite find it. Thank you.

https://www.reddit.com/user/aksurvi...urning_citi_aa_cards/?st=JQXUS4U2&sh=c55ec259

Let me know if you have any specific questions. I’m just getting started with this.

Silly question, is the Dischurners on Redditt?

Specifically, I'm trying to determine how AA miles become tickets.

Hey there!! I can assist with that whole DISchurners thing Drop me a PM

 

[tink1970]

We've never used our FN certificates for anything international but they always come in handy for quick mostly unplanned getaways. We decided to go to WDW over Valentine's Day to forget about a certain "rite of passage" medical procedure I'm having for those of us who turn 50 ... the joys of aging. Anyhow, only the Friday night was available for a DVC booking and we are wait listed for Saturday night. However, we were able to secure Saturday night with a FN certificate in case the wait list doesn't come through.

Ooh, good luck with that! My family history makes me high risk so I "got" my first one last year (2 years before 50). Add the joys of aging to the joys of not picking the right genes

I'll just add that this year I'm keeping my SPG Biz/Marriott Premier and DH's SPG Biz since we don't know where DD will be in college. Even at only 35,000 it's fairly easy in many (not all) markets to find a hotel near an airport (or at the airport) for positioning flights. I'm currently using one and hoping to schedule another as soon as my FN certificate posts for PHL Marriott for our graduation trip.

The R-C and Lux are keeper cards for me, I can almost always rationalize a trip to use a 50,000/night room

 

[PolyRob]

Thanks for doing the math to figure out the date! My savings deposit hit on 1/10 also.

Bank bonus twins! It will be here before we know it haha

Some of that money will go towards the CIP $95 fee (pending approval)

 

[elgerber]

I know I have read the answer here, so I think I know it, but want to confirm. The $2000 cc funding at PNC, doesn't count toward the $5k direct deposit requirement? But pushing from Discover or Cap One do, correct?

 

[DisneyMandC]

I can't move my money from the PNC spend account to the growth account while waiting for the bonus, can I? That's a better interest rate than Ally, so I'd be happy to park more money there if that's the case!

 

[GlamMistress]

I'm still trying to decide if it is worthwhile for me (DH) to upgrade to a CSP or CSR.

I think I'm leaning toward CSP. I have the Amex plat so we've got the lounge part covered. I'll be ditching it (again) when the fee comes due. This would change up my whole strategy for 2019. My dream of cash back is out the window.

• CSP for travel/dining
  
• Pink Gold for grocery/gas
• Arrival+ bills and unbonused spend

I would still keep my United Explorer. This would run me $529 in annual fees if I downgrade DH's Amex plat after all. It was going to be a keeper for me but now I'm not sure. I'm annoyed at Amex for one. Also I may not have a use for that companion fare next year after all. We'll see.

 

[amalone1013]

On 3491...

1. I can see the SW Priority bonus points on my (DHs) statement!
2. This is why I rushed to get the Discover account going before we left... opened it Thursday morning and sent $15k to it.. that's debited from the account, but still not showing in Discover. It's soooooooo slow.
3. As for my AMEX chargebacks, we're still only at $66... should be close to $100, but so far it's just the last two charges. I haven't sat down to see which other charges are technically over the limit. I might just throw the chargebacks into my slush line in the budget... I really don't want to figure out which of those went where

It will actually be all 4 of us. Maybe this makes it easier to spot us.

What a great generational photo! I've got one from when I was around your DDs age with my mom and grandma and it's one of my favorites.

Is the Landry's multi-branded gift card on Amazon able to be used at Yak and Yeti? I'm seeing a lot of restaurants listed on the card, but not specifically Yak and Yeti.

I've used that kind there before. I think it's because that's the only Y&Y concept around.

Micah at Mouseperks keeps up an awesome app you can download to see available discounts for free.

Aha! I need an app to keep track of this!

(Meanwhile, I've always wanted to travel on one of the Cunard Line ships.)

I'm interested in this too, after our Long Beach weekend on the Queen Mary last year.

I need some Disney money advice, not necessarily credit card but you are all so smart with this stuff. We will be there for 10 days as a party of 8. No dining plan, we do prefer to have a good amount of sit down meals. I have 6 made so far and am watching for a few more. Would it make sense for me to upgrade my ticket to an annual pass and buy Tables in Wonderland? I have been working the numbers and it appears we are close to breaking even with our sit down meals. I didn't realize TIW doesn't work for counter service so now I am second guessing if it would be a money saver for us or not.

We are staying on site. Split at Movies and AKL Kidani. We tend to buy each kid one souvenir per trip and I usually find something I can't live without. My MIL may have a few drinks, but this time I will not be partaking, and my DH doesn't drink. We would buy Memory Maker if I do not upgrade. I was considering that in my costs. I am currently estimating high at about $1900 at the meals we have reserved. We have always had the dining plan in the past and planned this time on trying to be semi frugal with our meals by sharing, having an app instead, as much as possible. We did however book two big event meals, California Grill Brunch and Cinderella's Royal Table for my DD's birthday.

@mamathompson I am belated and behind so I apologize if you've already reached a decision. I like to estimate food costs, and make an educated guess on what's getting ordered. That's not too bad becasue it's just me and DH currently and I can usually guess what he'll get anyways.

But I'm thinking, you have a party of 8... at least 3 adults, how many Disney adults? I know of a few people who got TIW discounts on Cali Grill Brunch, not sure about AP discounts. Best case scenario all of your kids are Disney kids so 5 at $48 and 3 adults at $80 = $480 before tax/tip. That's about a $102 savings with TIW (because you save a bit on tax too). Any kids that are over 10(?) are Disney adults so then your savings goes up. Just quick math worst case scenario on those two meals saying 5 kids, 3 adults and breakfast at CRT I get ~$195 savings with TIW and ~$38 with AP (assuming no AP discount on Cali Brunch).

I'd work out a food estimate for all of your currently planned meals (I'd ignore alcohol if only your MIL might drink) and then I'd compare

• your ticket cost plus memory maker
• annual pass minus memory maker minus AP savings on food and merchandise (possibly resort too - not sure when your trip is or if you've already paid, using DVC, etc... if AP discounts are out someone could look it up for you to see if there is savings there)
• annual pass minus memory maker plus $150 for TIW minus TIW savings

I'm a nerd and like running all the numbers to see what saves me the most

 

[StephPlum]

Approved for CIC!! So not instant approval but I'm happy with less than 24 hours!

Congrats

 

[Calfan]

Apologies for asking questions that I know have been answered many times before on this thread, but I never expected to have an interest in Delta gift cards. After our aborted Delta flight from BOI to LAX last August, I swore that I was done with Delta. But I had some Delta miles I wanted to use up, so I used those miles for my recent flights to/from MCO for WDW Marathon Weekend. Delta totally redeemed itself for me with this recent trip. All flights were on time, and I loved being able to access the Delta lounges in SLC and MCO with my Amex Plat. So now I'm thinking Delta might be my preferred airline for future trips to WDW, and also maybe certain other routes through SLC (which seems to be something of a Delta hub). I've always used my Amex airline reimbursement benefits to buy SW gift cards, but my need for those is not as immediate given the points DH is going to get from his SW Priority and Biz. I'm going to the Star Wars race weekend in April and currently have flights booked on SW. Thinking about possibly cancelling those flights (I'll be able to use the travel funds for Bay Area trips on SW for Cal football games later this year) and booking Delta instead. Right now, the Delta flights are more than I want to pay, but I've set up some alerts to see if they come down. So two things I wanted to double check: please remind me of the gc increments that work for Delta to trigger the Amex airline fee reimbursement, and I'd also like feedback on how easy it is to apply Delta gc's to flight reservations and whether that can be done when booking online. Thanks!

 

[StephPlum]

The $2000 cc funding at PNC, doesn't count toward the $5k direct deposit requirement? But pushing from Discover or Cap One do, correct?

Only one I know for sure is CC funding does not meet the DD requirement. Some bank transfers count, I have heard Chase mentioned as working but unsure on Discover or Cap One.

I can't move my money from the PNC spend account to the growth account while waiting for the bonus, can I? That's a better interest rate than Ally, so I'd be happy to park more money there if that's the case!

What is it with their growth rates?!? I have a branch like 5 mins from my house; but my rates are under 1.7%. Just not comprehending why the rates vary so much though I don't know banking laws. Maybe they have to invest in different assets in different states.

ETA: Just to drive myself crazy I typed in a random zip which happened to be in Iowa. 2.37% vs my measly 1.69%

 

[Haley R]

I believe Disney has thresholds in place to automatically charge the card on file once you hit a specific amount: value - $500, moderate - $1,000, and deluxe - $1,500. At least that is how I was operating. I could easily charge $300/$400 a day depending on my party size or what we purchased that day so I always just paid off the room pretty much every night. Now that I do split stays its not really as big of a concern, but I prefer taking 5 minutes to swipe my GC rather than having to work with the front desk on a refund.

I know MDE is very buggy, but maybe the next feature added should be paying off your room with a gift card or CC via the app rather than waiting at the front desk. I would very much appreciate that enhancement!

Oh okay I see what you mean. We normally combine our gift cards onto one and carry it around through the day to pay with. I don’t think we’ll run into the issue of reaching $500 charged to our room

 

[tink1970]

Apologies for asking questions that I know have been answered many times before on this thread, but I never expected to have an interest in Delta gift cards. After our aborted Delta flight from BOI to LAX last August, I swore that I was done with Delta. But I had some Delta miles I wanted to use up, so I used those miles for my recent flights to/from MCO for WDW Marathon Weekend. Delta totally redeemed itself for me with this recent trip. All flights were on time, and I loved being able to access the Delta lounges in SLC and MCO with my Amex Plat. So now I'm thinking Delta might be my preferred airline for future trips to WDW, and also maybe certain other routes through SLC (which seems to be something of a Delta hub). I've always used my Amex airline reimbursement benefits to buy SW gift cards, but my need for those is not as immediate given the points DH is going to get from his SW Priority and Biz. I'm going to the Star Wars race weekend in April and currently have flights booked on SW. Thinking about possibly cancelling those flights (I'll be able to use the travel funds for Bay Area trips on SW for Cal football games later this year) and booking Delta instead. Right now, the Delta flights are more than I want to pay, but I've set up some alerts to see if they come down. So two things I wanted to double check: please remind me of the gc increments that work for Delta to trigger the Amex airline fee reimbursement, and I'd also like feedback on how easy it is to apply Delta gc's to flight reservations and whether that can be done when booking online. Thanks!

1) $50 increments, it's a pain
2) you can apply only one booking online but 3 if you call it, it's a pain

TBH, I fly DL a lot and this year I changed all 3 of my cards earning benefits-2 to American for gc resale, 1 to United for actual fees I knew I'd accrue, not having a CC or status with them. Obviously everyone's situation is different but the gcs aren't user friendly. I actually did have several fees covered by DL that I didn't know would be- flight change fee and the tax on award fees, so there's that to consider as well.

 

[amalone1013]

I bought $50 Disney and $15 Starbucks card to get the whole $19!

So I look at it as $15 off Disney (30%) and $4 off Starbucks (26%).

More creative financing on my part.

As far as dues, since it is early I'm going to do larger offers since I know I can always (?) get the 5% on the Freedom somewhere. My low will now be 10% saved and I will hope for more 30% offers!!!???

Will have to remember this. Left my last $4 on the table... not the end of the world, but didn't think to look for variable load GCs I could use.

 

[amalone1013]

So the secret to paying for Prime with a GC... is you buy a gift of Prime membership for yourself with GCs, then let your current membership expire and re-sign up with the gift membership. If you try to use the gift membership before your current membership expires, it just wants to give you an account credit.

I had the Staples offer on several of my Chase cards so loaded up on Amazon because no plans for Disney. I knew that my Prime fee was due soon, so I thought it was a great way to save on that. Just looked and they charged my card instead of debiting from gift card balances. Grrrrrr Also forgot to cancel my free Kindle Unlimited and they hit my Visa for that also. At least I had loaded a Kindle offer on that card so I got 20% off, but hadn't planned on renewing at all. Double Grrrrrrr.

Pretty sure you can’t pay for Prime with GCs.

I think I had read somewhere you can't use GCs for the Prime membership.

 

[PolyRob]

I'm still trying to decide if it is worthwhile for me (DH) to upgrade to a CSP or CSR.

I think I'm leaning toward CSP. I have the Amex plat so we've got the lounge part covered. I'll be ditching it (again) when the fee comes due. This would change up my whole strategy for 2019. My dream of cash back is out the window.

• CSP for travel/dining
  
• Pink Gold for grocery/gas
• Arrival+ bills and unbonused spend

I would still keep my United Explorer. This would run me $529 in annual fees if I downgrade DH's Amex plat after all. It was going to be a keeper for me but now I'm not sure. I'm annoyed at Amex for one. Also I may not have a use for that companion fare next year after all. We'll see.

Would you find $55 of value from the CSR?

• Higher earning rate on travel/dining
• Higher redemption value with CSR vs CSP
• Priority Pass (I know you mentioned you don't need the double lounge, but some terminals are easier with certain lounge types)
• GE/TSA Pre I already paid for mine, but find value in having this for renewal. Does everyone in your travel party already have it?

Personally I am going to downgrade my CSP to a Freedom after a year and keep the CSR. I don't foresee myself closing or changing my CSR unless Chase significantly increases its AF while removing the $300 travel credit.

 

[Haley R]

What do you guys think? Should Dh and I get the BoA card or an AA card?

 

[wanderlust7]

What is it with their growth rates?!? I have a branch like 5 mins from my house; but my rates are under 1.7%. Just not comprehending why the rates vary so much though I don't know banking laws. Maybe they have to invest in different assets in different states.

ETA: Just to drive myself crazy I typed in a random zip which happened to be in Iowa. 2.37% vs my measly 1.69%

I think they want to break into markets where they don't have a physical presence, hence the more attractive rate. A customer who can't go into a branch is probably cheaper to service too.

 

[amalone1013]

Argghhhh my magical reservations are still giving me errors when trying to link to MDE. I asked on Thursday and they were going to look into it but I never heard back.

 

[happ]

Yep! AA miles can pay for Disney hotels! It’s why I have a sudden interest in them and that oddly named train

I'm unfamiliar with AA miles. Are they generally worth 1 cent a piece? If that's the case, then the hotel prices in miles on the AA site don't seem to match up to Disney prices. They are really high. What am I not understanding about the benefit of using AA miles? Is it just that they are easy to get so it doesn't matter what they charge?

 

[Chancery8]

I'm not sure I totally understand the impact of the change, but it seems it would have more to do with placing a hold on your card rather than when they actually post the charges. Holds can be a problem if you don't have much room left on the credit card you are using or if you are using a debit card, but would likely NOT be an issue with folks on this board who are generally operating at the low end of their credit lines.

Ha, thanks for clearing that up. I missed the whole part about it being a hold. I somehow read it as it would keep charging my CC $100 at a time, lol. Now that would be a complete mess!

I'm just not getting all of the 'logic' in this..... the original 30k points earned counts towards a CP... so you need another biz cc anyway for the 2nd year.... plus extra spend on top of that ??? would they even allow the 30k to count towards a same year pass? since it got you the first,wouldn't that be counting that 30k twice within one calendar year towards a cp,which I can't imagine that working...(?)

Good point. Will the first 30k even count again? I thought the advised plan was bad enough, but if it turns out it doesn't even work... that'd be $7k MSR + $13K additional for only 90k pts total and no additional year of CP